For the first time this winter, the MIAA released its statewide tournament power rankings on Friday.

The Pioneer boys basketball team is the highest ranked team in the Recorder area. Following a 7-2 start to the season, the Panthers come in at No. 4 in the Div. 5 rankings. Mahar (8-2) isn’t far behind, ranked No. 7. Athol (7-1) comes in at No. 13, rounding out Recorder area schools in the top 32 of the Div. 5 rankings.

For basketball and hockey, the top 32 teams earn an automatic spot in the postseason, while any team that finishes with a .500 or better record will also earn an automatic spot, whether ranked in the top 32 or not. All records listed are what the MIAA considered in its formula.

Turners Falls (4-5) is just outside the Div. 5 field, ranked No. 40. Franklin Tech (0-8) comes in at No. 65. 

Over in the Div. 4 boys basketball bracket, Greenfield (5-2) — which moved up from Div. 5 to Div. 4 this year — is ranked No. 20. Frontier (2-4) just missed the top 32, ranked No. 33. 

Frontier (8-2) is the lone Recorder area girls basketball school in Div. 4, and its strong start to the season has it ranked No. 12. 

The remainder of the area girls basketball teams compete in Div. 5, with four squads ranked inside the top 32. Franklin Tech (9-2) enters at No. 9, Greenfield (4-3) is ranked No. 11, Pioneer (5-4) sits at No. 16 while Mahar (3-5) comes in at No. 22. 

Mohawk Trail (3-7) is ranked No. 45 while Athol (1-7) sits at No. 61. 

The Greenfield ice hockey team has made the postseason in each season since the inception of the new format, and its 7-3 start has it ranked No. 29 in the Div. 4 field.